Ignatius "Iggy" Jones ( 1927 – 4 September 1992) was a
Gaelic football
Gaelic football (; short name '')'', commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA, or football, is an Irish team sport. A form of football, it is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score ...
er who is now considered one of the greats of
Tyrone football. He was part of the breakthrough Tyrone team that won back-to-back
Ulster Championships in 1956 and 1957 – they had not won a championship prior to that. He also represented Ireland in an exhibition series versus the combined Universities.
His main asset was his ability to solo run at great length, before setting up a team mate, or scoring himself. Along with players such as
Frankie Donnelly, he was one of the first generation of Tyrone players to make an impact on the
All-Ireland
All-Ireland (sometimes All-Island) is a term used to describe organisations and events whose interests extend over the entire island of Ireland, as opposed to the separate jurisdictions of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. "All-Irelan ...
stage.
He was listed by
Eoghan Corry, in his book, ''The GAA Book of Lists'', as one of eleven great players never to win an All-Ireland crown.
He first made his name as a schoolboy in the first ever
Hogan Cup final – an unorthodox place for a player to cement a reputation. He was playing for
St. Patrick's, Armagh, against
St. Jarliath's, Tuam. His personal scoring tally was 3–4, out of Armagh's 3–12, inspiring them to a four-point victory.
His mark on the school's competition has been rewarded by having the
MacRory Cup matches'
Man of the Match
In team sport, a player of the match award (also known as man of the match or woman of the match) is often given to the most outstanding player in a particular match. This can be a player from either team, although the player is generally chose ...
award named after him.
A schoolteacher, he served as Headmaster of
Presentation Brothers , Dungannon. The "Iggy Jones Room" at O'Neill Park, in Dungannon, is named in his honour.
References
External links
*''GAA book of Lists'', Hodder Headline,
2005
2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...
,
''Hogan Stand'' biography of Iggy Jones
1920s births
1992 deaths
Tyrone inter-county Gaelic footballers
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